Regaleira - see Pictures here

Quinta da Regaleira origins date back to 1697 when José Leite purchased a huge tract of land at one end of the Old Quarter of Sintra. The property was bought at a public auction in 1715 by Francisco Alberto Guimarães de Castro who diverted water from the mountain to supply a fountain on the property. In the possession of João António Lopes Fernandes in 1800 it appears some thirty years later in the possession of Manuel Bernardo from whence it derived its current name, having formerly been known as the Quinta da Torre or the Quinta do Castro. It was then purchased by the daughter of Allen in 1840 (a wealthy trader from Porto) who was later given the title of the Baroness of Regaleira. At the beginning of this century, however, Quinta da Regaleira was purchased by the capitalist António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro, a man of enormous culture with a degree in Law from the University of Coimbra who had amassed a fortune in Brazil. Carvalho Monteiro, who was profoundly inspired by the glorious national epic poem, whose expression at the time was found in the "revivalist" taste of neo manueline architecture, took inspiration for the construction of the manor house and its respective chapel both from the structural and decorative eclecticism of the Pena Palace and the neo manueline style of the Hotel Palácio do Buçaco, designed by Luigi Manini.

It was Carvalho Monteiro who invited Manini to design and build the house at Regaleira. The project was completed in 1910. This is a assemblage of styles and constructions (gardens, wells, towers, statues, mysterious grottoes, etc.), which Manini succeeded in imbuing with exceptional characteristics. Albeit having a semblance of a scene from opera, Quinta da Regaleira has alchemical and sacred connotations.

Located in the Old Quarter of Sintra and classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, the Quinta da Regaleira is one of these special places. Built at the turn of the 20th century in the romantic ideal, this fascinating ensemble of constructions which have been built in the middle of the dense forest is the result of the achieving of the mythical magical dreams of its owner, Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro (1848-1920) in conjunction with the talent of the scenographer-architect Luigi Manini (1848-1936). The imagination of these two figures succeeded in achieving the revivalist sum of the most varied artistic trends - with particular reference to the Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance and the glorification of all things held sacred by humankind and particularly reflecting on Portuguese mythological and esoteric traditions.

The Quinta da Regaleira is a place to be felt. It is not sufficient to tell its story, of its countryside setting, its mysteries. It must be experienced firsthand, the scenography of its gardens and buildings must be seen and admired as should the Palácio dos Milhões, a true mansion of philosophy inspired by alchemy. Visitors should stroll through the exotic, fabulous park, feel the spirituality of the first Christians in the Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity, which allows us to descend into the crypt which reminds us of the symbolism of the sacred place and the world beyond.

There is also a vast ensemble of turrets providing us with breathtaking views, strange recesses - half myth half saudade (missing), palace type residences of superb taste. Reference must be made to the adventures of the Knights of the Temple or the ideals of Freemasonry, to descend into the initiation well via an immense spiral shaped staircase. And down below, standing on a light pointed star it is as if we were immersed in the womb of Mother Earth. All we must do is traverse the darkness of the labyrinth grottos until we reach the light, reflected in the water of lakes of surprising beauty.